The Shapeshifter
by Sheeple
Summary: Assuming that Rin started traveling with Sesshomaru again post manga... (Rin is 16ish) Rin is off thinking about Sesshomaru. Meanwhile, a demon is watching her, and a very particular demon at that... Sess/Rin fluff eventually. T just in case Chap 1, 2 , 3 all revised! Grammar mistakes have been exterminated.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! This is my first fanfic I've written, so I hope you enjoy it! It's not the first story I've written, so don't worry.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters**

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Sesshomaru walked through the forest, his loyal servant Jaken following close at his heels.

"Where has Rin gone?" He said in his monotone voice.

"She has gone to find food without permission, the meddlesome child." Jaken squawked. Sesshomaru felt a bit irked, but did not show it. Rin had lately made it a habit of running off without permission. Sometimes he wondered why it irked him, but he had always set it on a matter of honor.

"Go find her. She may be lost." He stated, his tone cold.

"Yes, at once, Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken said, running off with the human-head staff clutched in his palms. Now, why would this Sesshomaru worry if Rin was lost? He asked himself. After a while, he convinced himself that it was his duty. It was his duty to protect Rin. Nothing more, nothing less.

Meanwhile, Rin was having a bit of emotional turmoil as well. After leaving to find some food, she had stumbled upon a bush of berries. Once she had picked berries to her heart's content, Rin wandered in the general direction she felt she had came from, looking for Sesshomaru-sama and his loyal ward, Jaken.

I wonder why Sesshomaru-sama keeps me around these days, she thought. She had grown quite a bit from when she and Sesshomaru-sama had met, and felt she could now survive in the real world. Though, she stayed with her lord, and his small imp. She stayed because she had grown to love Lord Sesshomaru. Though lately, she had grown restless.

Walking through the brush, she popped a few of the berries into her mouth, savoring the sweet taste. Almost tripping over a protruding tree root, Rin wondered how Sesshomaru-sama felt about her. Was she just a burden to him, a stone weighing him down? Did he feel compelled to protect her, because he thought she had no place to go? Or maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way that she did about her!

As she crossed a shallow stream, Rin thought she heard the squawks of Jaken-sama calling for her, but she paid no heed, skipping along. Why, anything could sound like a small imp demon these days!

Bending down, she picked a bright red flower from the grass, singing merrily as she did. Rin had been thinking about how Lord Sesshomaru thought about her, but she had always felt that he would express his feelings in one way or another, eventually. At least, that's what she had thought. Aside from the normal protection from demons and higher tolerance level than Jaken-sama, he had given no signs of compassion to her.

She sighed, but immediately straightened as she made up her mind. Rin was going to ask Sesshomaru-sama if he loved her or not, and if he didn't say yes, she would just go away and leave Jaken and Ah-Un and the whole lot! At least, for a little while. Tossing away her current flower, she picked another one up she deemed prettier, and planned to give Sesshomaru-sama the flower when she asked him! She was fairly sure he was going to say yes. At least, she hoped he would.

Meanwhile, a set of deep blue eyes watched and observed, taking in the scene. The deep blue eyes belonged to a particular demon, a shapeshifter, named Fuan Ita. He loved making angst, and had good reason for it too. It was his life-source.

One of the curious abilities he possessed was the the ability to peer into one's mind, if especially troubled, or in deep thought. Basically, people who were dealing with a bit of angst at the current moment. After the demon perused the girl's thoughts, he smiled. Breaking her heart would be delicious. He slinked off into the bushes once more, thinking of where he would confront the girl.

* * *

Jaken walked nervously back to Sesshomaru, nervously wringing his hands. He had not been able to find Rin anywhere! He had checked all the ponds, meadows, anything she could have been interested in. The imp hoped that Sesshomaru would not be too displeased if he said that he had lost Rin for the moment… He shuddered at the thought of Sesshomaru-sama's wrath (which would be directed at him) if he failed to find Rin entirely. He sighed and approached the great dog demon.

"Sesshomaru-sama, unfortunately I have not been able to l-locate Rin a-anywhere…" Jaken stammered nervously. Sesshomaru glared at Jaken, annoyed that he had not been able to locate the girl, but at that exact same moment, something else came to his attention. The presence of a demon. A particularly strong demon, in fact.

He started walking briskly towards Rin's scent. "Come Jaken. We have important business to attend to."

* * *

Rin skipped merrily along, humming to herself an old tune, when she spotted Lord Sesshomaru in a clearing.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" she called, an enormous smile plastered on her face. Running up to him, she handed him the flower she had recently collected. "I'm sorry for running off, but I was so hungry!" Sesshomaru answered only with his indifference. "And well, I was thinking," she said as she nervously wrung her hands, "well, umm do you, umm, do you…" She took a deep breath. "Do you love me!?"

The dog demon turned his head towards Rin, but stayed silent. For a while, only the calling of the birds and the whistling of the wind was heard. Finally, he spoke, breaking the silence.

"What a ridiculous question. Me, a great dog demon, such as myself, in love with you, but a simple lowly human? Preposterous. You have only been a thorn in my side for so long, a burden I do not wish to bear. I should have never wasted the Tensaiga's power on you. The sooner you leave my presence, the better."

As he said them, each word drove a stake into Rin's heart, nailing it to the ground. Burden? She thought, her soul being crushed. Thorn in my side? Rin felt weak in her knees. She was prepared for a simple no, or plain silence, in the manner that Sesshomaru-sama answered many of her questions, but she was not prepared for anything of the likes that her lord had just said. Turning away, she started running off towards the forest, tears glistening down her face, "Forgive m-m-me, my lord, b-b-but I m-must g-go!" She choked out as she fled into the cover of the trees.

Meanwhile, the thing she thought as Sesshomaru grinned maliciously, following the girl and feeding on her delicious pain. Changing shape, he silently slipped after her.

* * *

Sesshomaru's patience was wearing thin. Rin was nowhere to be found, and the demon's aura seemed to be growing stronger. He resisted the urge to punt his ward into the nearest tree for his impudence, choosing to follow in the direction where he had just heard the light pitter-patter of feet and sniffling.

Coming into a small clearing by a pond, he spotted Rin, hunched over, her eyes watery and face stained with tears.

"Do not cry, Rin. We must leave." He stated, turning around and expecting Rin to follow him. Instead, his acute hearing told him that she was a running away from him, surprisingly enough. On most occasions, he would have left Rin to sort out her own problems, but the demon's presence had grown almost strong enough to concern him, so he followed her into the brush.

Meanwhile, Rin stumbled through the forest, crashing through branches and bushes alike. She wondered how her lord had expected her to come back and "stop crying" after those brutal words. Was Sesshomaru-sama really that cruel? Well this Rin would no longer be a "burden" to him. She was going to run far away, where Sesshomaru-sama could never find her!

In her blubbery state though, she tripped over a conveniently placed rock, feeling the sting of rocks and dirt on her knees and hands. The pain brought a fresh new wave of tears, streaming down her face like a waterfall. Eventually, Rin crawled over to a nearby tree, desperately trying to stop the flow of tears, but failing miserably. Through the haze in which they left, she spied Sesshomaru coming into view. She averted her eyes, knowing that it would only cause more pain if she looked upon the source of her unrequited love once more.

Sesshomaru, though, was having problems of his own. Specifically, a single problem, and that was the tree Rin was resting on at the particular moment. The tree seemed to be the source of the demon aura, and was of considerable strength.

"Rin, step away from the tree."

She looked at him for a split second, as if looking at a painful memory, and then quickly turned away, staying rooted to the spot. Sesshomaru's patience grew dangerously thin, but something else quickly caught his attention; the tree branches had started curving towards Rin, almost as if they were reaching for her…

Leaping towards the tree, he grabbed the girl and unsheathed his sword, slicing off the tree's appendages. In response, the tree seemed to scream in response…

Landing a good distance away, Sesshomaru set Rin down near a few bushes. "Stay here." He commanded, flying back over to the tree. Meanwhile, the tree had pulled itself out by its roots, extending its branches towards the great dog demon. Shifting in his flight, he narrowly dodged being impaled by the now animated tree, instead hacking it off. With one final burst of speed, he sliced through the tree's trunk, and it disappeared in a flash of light. It didn't dissolve as most demons did, but he didn't take great notice; he had different things to worry about. Anyway, most demons weren't trees, either.

Walking back to Rin, he extended a hand to her cheek where she had sustained a small bruise. To his surprise though, she shied away. Her eyes were filled with betrayal and pain.

Normallly, Rin would have been elated to be saved by her Lord, but she no longer felt the familiar warmth in her chest. Instead, a dull, throbbing void was left, making her feel weak and insignificant. It pained her to see his face anymore, knowing that all she would be was a burden; that's all that she ever was to him.

Standing up, she murmured a curt "thank you" and started running off, tears threatening to spill across her face.

Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was confused, to say the least. Why was Rin acting the way she was. She normally was grateful for being saved, and she most certainly never shied away from his touch. In fact, during the last couple of months, it seemed that his touch was the only thing she had wanted, for whatever reason.

He resisted the urge to chase after her; he was a great and powerful demon, he thought to himself. One's pride should never be wasted on a young girl such as Rin. And yet, why did he have the strongest urge to go after her? He dismissed the feelings as battle jitters, though he never had them, and walked away as the last motes of sunlight withered away.

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**So what did ya think? Review! And next chapter will come out... eventually...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wats up? Chapter 2, yay! Hopefully it doesn't have as many grammar errors as I think it does. Its been revised, yay!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha or its characters.**

Fuan Ita patted his metaphorical belly as he watched the little girl run off to heaven-knows-where. The amount of angst that had rolled off that girl had been enormous, and he had feasted upon every single moment of it. Sighing contently, he wondered about that Sesshomaru demon. He was quite strong, as demons go, but he seemed to care for a mere human girl! What a waste. Plus, he hadn't even noticed the tiny newt that had dropped from the tree, which was actually him. The girl had probably tripped due to her sadness and tumbled over a waterfall. He laughed at the thought.

Sitting up, he transformed into a wolf, sniffing at the air. He had grown hungry again, but not for angst. Maybe a bit of envy was in order… Turning in the direction of the nearest village, guided by his wolf nose, he set off at a breakneck pace.

* * *

Sesshomaru was almost starting to get anxious. Almost, being the keyword. He had expected Rin to come back at any moment, a flower in hand, or something of the sort. Instead, he had not seen her for 5 days! Demon numbers had been increasing as well, bringing more danger to the forest.

Internally, the great dog demon sighed. Maybe if he had paid the girl more attention, instead of brushing her off all those times, Rin would have never ran away. The temptation to scour every inch of the forest came back with a roaring vengeance, but he took a deep breath and banished the proposal. No demon who respected his pride would ever go after a measly human girl.

Though, such thoughts would have never crossed his mind before, before he had met Rin. At one point, when the day had turned to dusk, the sky a gloomy gray, he had glanced over at Rin and acknowledged that she had grown from when he had first met her. From a small little girl, she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman. She was getting closer to that age when most human girls married and had children. Imagining Rin with a family was bittersweet, though. He had always wanted Rin to be happy, but the thought of her no longer dependent on him pained him. When he had thought that day that it was getting closer to the moment when Rin would ultimately decide to leave and start a family of her own, he had felt an emotion that rarely graced his mind: fear. It had scared him, when he thought about the notion of Rin leaving, getting married, living through her life, dying. All without him.

Those feelings were now creeping at the edges of his mind, growing like weeds; when he tried to pull one out, two more appeared.

He was jolted back to reality when he heard the ear-piercing scream of a certain girl that had always followed him around, wherever he had traveled: Rin. Rushing towards the source of the sound, he came upon a group of blood-thirsty demons bearing upon a cowering Rin.

Leaping toward the group of youkai, he killed every single one with a single swing of his sword. Landing in front of the girl, he knelt to take at look her face. When she looked at the ground and avoided his stare, he tilted her head up with the tip of his finger.

Staring deep into her eyes, he brought a hand up to her dirtied cheek. Lips trembling, she quickly rose up, stumbling away from Sesshomaru. She didn't make it far, though. After a few shaky steps, she collapsed onto the forest floor, falling face-first into a pile of mud. Sesshomaru walked to Rin, picking her up by the armpits, as if she was a child. Rin despised him for it.

"Where have you been, Rin?" He asked, his calm tone masking a storm underneath, as he cleaned her face.

"N-n-nowhere." She whispered.

"So you have been "nowhere" for the past five days? That does not seem likely." His stare seemed to pierce into her soul.

"It's not like you would care where I've been anyway…" She murmured as she drifted off into exhaustion, her eyes drooping and finally closing.

"What are you talking about, girl…" Sesshomaru whispered to Rin's prone form. Carrying her bridal style, he walked back towards A-Un and Jaken, wondering what he had done wrong.

* * *

Rin woke to the crackling of the fire, and immediately noticed a soft and warm feeling enveloping her entire body. She almost sighed in content, until she realized who had carried her back. Shutting her eyes, she tried to will the Lord of the West away.

"Rin." She shifted away from his voice. "Eat." Something was thrust in front of her face, a strong, sharp smell permeating from it.

Opening her eyes, she was met with a large, cooked fish on a stick, thrust into her face. Hungry, she snatched at it, eating ravenously. After finishing off the fish, she belched and absorbed her surroundings.

They were sitting in front of a fire, A-Un and Jaken sitting opposite of the fire. The source of warmth had come from Sesshomaru's fluff, encircling her completely.

"Sesshomaru-sama… Why have you brought me here? And made a fire? And cooked me fish?" It was odd that he had prepared a fire, and even had made food, as he had no need for the stuff, anyway. Could it have possibly been, just maybe, for her? A small twinkle of hope lit in her heart.

"Do not ask such silly questions," He responded, sitting stoically and closing his eyes.

"Did you do this all for me?" She asked. Sesshomaru stayed silent. "Am I not just a burden to you, a 'thorn in your side'?"

"When," The great dog demon turned to face Rin. "Have I ever said that?"

"Huh?" Rin questioned. "When you said all those n-nasty things to me when I was looking for food. You don't even remember?" Rin's eyes started getting misty, and Sesshomaru did not like the notion of seeing a crying Rin once more. Instead, he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, hoping to soothe the ailing girl.

"I do not recall such an encounter… Are you sure it was this Sesshomaru?"

"Yes…"

"Was A-Un with me?" Sesshomaru asked, though it sounded more like a command.

Thinking back, the great two-headed dragon had not been present. "No…" She responded.

"A-Un accompanied me for the entire day. It is impossible that that was me."

"Oh." The thought settled into Rin's mind for a second before it took effect. A warm feeling started churning in her stomach, bubbling up into her heart. "Oh!" She said light-heartedly, giggling as she did. It was as if the world had been lifted off her shoulders; life no longer as dreary as it had been before. "That's such a relief, Sesshomaru-sama!" She cried, nearly tackling him in a hug. "I'm so glad you came for me."

"I… I am too."

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**Another chapter down! I hope you enjoyed. I might start branching out to different characters now, but Sesh/Rin will still be the main focus. Oh, and don't forget to REVIEW! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! It's me again. I've been thinking of making this a series of random stories about Sesshomaru and co as well as with my OC. Who knows? Its just fun to write about them. R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, I never will**

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Rin cowered before the great bear demon, muttering prayers in her head as it brought down its great paw, and she hoped that Sesshomaru would miss her. She shut her eyes, waiting for the inevitable to befall her… The sound of a sword being unsheathed was heard, and an ominous slicing sound rang through the air, a sound of great power. When she opened her eyes, Sesshomaru was standing in front of her, sword in hand, the bear demon cut in two.

"Sesshomaru-sama! You came!" She cried happily, running to hug him tightly. The great dog demon, in turn, stood stoically, looking at the surroundings. It had seemed that Rin had snuck off to find food again, without his knowledge. After a while, he started to get uncomfortable. Rin, on the other hand, was loving every second of it.

"Rin, let us go." He remarked, slightly pushing her away.

"Oh! That's right. A-Un must be lonely with just Jaken to keep him company." She giggled. Following Sesshomaru, she walked with a bounce in her step, as she always had.

"Rin, you are not to search for food unsupervised." Sesshomaru said, sheathing his sword.

"Yes, my lord." Rin said, sounding a bit exasperated. It did not go unnoticed by the Lord of the West, either. He had commanded her to do so many times, but she had not listened time after time.

"If you are to search for food, you may ask Jaken-"

"Jaken sighs too much, I wouldn't ask him…" She said, cutting in and then quickly covering her mouth, realizing her mistake. Sesshomaru pretended to take no notice.

"Or you may ask me to accompany you." He finished, catching Rin as she tripped over a stump.

"Really? I can ask you?" He nodded. "Oh, thank you Sesshomaru-sama!" She smiled as she hugged his arm tightly. This time, he did not push her back.

* * *

Fuan Ita hid high in the sky, shaped exactly like a hawk. He eyed a woman with brown hair. She appeared deep in thought, and a bit sad as well. Peering into her mind, he discovered that the woman was worried about her husband going to another town to exterminate a demon. At first, he had thought that she was worried about her husband's well being, but after delving deeper into her mind, he discovered that her husband was quite the pervert, and she worried that he might do some lecherous deed in the other village. Smiling, he descended, the picture of the woman's husband imprinted in his mind as he readied to transform once again…

* * *

Rin walked along happily as she searched for food, accompanied by Sesshomaru.

"Isn't it such a beautiful day, Sesshomaru-sama?" She asked, happily picking a bush of its berries. Sesshomaru, as usual, answered with his indifference.

Suddenly, he heard something crashing through the brush. "Rin, come here." He commanded, unsheathing his sword. As he readied for a possible attack, the oddest thing occurred. The lecherous monk he recalled named Miroku came streaking by, running with all his might. After him came an enormous boomerang, in which Sesshomaru jumped over while carrying Rin. Miroku, on the other hand, narrowly ducked it and kept running.

He shouted, "Sango, I do not recall doing anything of the sort! And if I did, it was an honest mistake. I promise."

Catching the boomerang was a woman with brown hair, fire burning in her eyes. "One does not make "mistakes" during marriage!" She yelled, chasing after him and throwing the enormous boomerang.

"Please, Sango, can't we talk about this?" He pleaded desperately.

"Oh we can "talk". Right after I beat you into a bloody pulp!" She shouted, waving her fist. "Come back here, you lecher!" With one enormous bound, Sango pounced right on top of her husband, nailing him in the head with her boomerang and leaving a considerable bump.

"Now, we can "talk". She said, dragging him by one ear towards the village. Miroku pleaded with his eyes to Rin and Sesshomaru to save him, but Sesshomaru took no notice. Rin, on the other hand, did.

"Miss Sango!" She called, waving her hand in a desperate attempt to grab her attention. "I think your husband is telling the truth!"

"Oh, really?" Sango stopped and turned around to face Rin, still fuming.

"See, Sango? Let the girl explain." Miroku said anxiously, hoping to clear up the situation.

"Explain yourself, Rin." Sango said, still having a firm grip on her husband's ear.

"Well, a couple of days ago, I was walking around when I thought I saw Sesshomaru-sama! So I walked up to him and asked him a question, but he said a lot of mean things to me that he would never say! But it turned out that it wasn't him at all!"

"Yes, yes, Sango. It must have been a demon that was impersonating me! I would never act that way now." Miroku beamed, hoping that the explanation and his smile would clear things up.

"Hmm… That does seem reasonable…" Sango said, scratching her head.

"I believe that our work here is done. Rin, come." Sesshomaru started walking back to camp, and Rin hurried after him.

"Bye Miss Sango! I hope you don't hurt your husband!" She called. Miroku smiled sheepishly at Sango in response.

"Fine." Sango said. "But we're still talking about this when we get home." She released Miroku's ear.

Meanwhile, Rin caught up to Sesshomaru, happy that she had helped avoid a fight.

"They were funny, don't you think, Lord Sesshomaru? If they fight like that all the time, I wonder why they even got married."

Sesshomaru stayed indifferent, reaching the camp and taking a seat.

Rin, mustering up her courage, asked Sesshomaru a question. "Sesshomaru-sama, why do you protect me?" The great dog demon said nothing, only staring more intently at the flames dancing in front of his face. "Is it because… Is it because you love me?" She said, looking at Sesshomaru with her big eyes. For a while, he stayed silent, the gentle wind blowing through his hair. Finally, he spoke, breaking the silence.

"Rin. I love no one, and I never have." She looked crestfallen. "But with you, I feel different. Sometimes it perplexes me, but I have grown to accept it. Though, it a feeling that I do not normally feel… So I have come to the conclusion that you have meant more to me than anyone else. That, is my answer."

Rin, while listening, had conflicting feelings. On one hand, he had said that he did not love her. On the other hand though, she was elated to the fact that she meant something to him. It was something to go off of, at the very least.

"Now go to sleep, Rin. You will need your energy for tomorrow." Dutifully obeying Sesshomaru's request, she went to sleep, wondering if Sango had believed her husband. Unknown to her, as she went to sleep, Sango and Miroku were walking home. When she had finally fell asleep, a thundering slap reverberated through the forest…

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**IDK, I still feel that Sango would slap Miroku even after they got married. ANYWAY, if you feel I made some grammar mistakes, you can leave a review with the error and I'll change it. Cus I'm one crazy grammar nazi, and i'd hate to see a grammar mistake in my work. And just REVIEW in general:P**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey there! New chapter, and its a bit longer than all the other ones. R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha**

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The demon known as Fuan Ita was feeling quite full of himself. After having tricked two people to the point of tears and to the brink of murder, he was feeling quite full, in general as well. People were so gullible, these days, it was appalling. Sticking his mole head out of the ground, he spied a half-demon in a red robe walking around, deep in thought, similar to the young woman he had spied on earlier. He was a hanyou, so he had to concentrate a bit harder; after a bit of effort, his mind was like an open book.

He discovered that the half-demon's wife (wait, wife?) was from the future (excuse me?) and was visiting a war torn region to bring medical relief (This was one messed up hanyou). He had insisted on accompanying the woman, but she had turned him down, telling him that he had nothing to worry about.

Sitting glumly on a nearby stone, he hoped that his wife was okay… though he then remembered that he had had a job exterminating a demon in a nearby village and he leapt away, worrying and worrying.

If moles could laugh, he would've laughed right there on the spot. Instead, he twitched his little mole whiskers, imprinting the picture of the woman this half-demon cared so much for… Kagome, was her name. He burrowed away, devising his plan, eagerly awaiting his next meal.

Inuyasha walked through the fields, recently coming back from a battle with a demon. Moping a bit as he trudged through the field, he hoped that Kagome was ok… He had heard that the region she was attending was war torn, dozens of different warlords battling it out to control the land.

His ears perked up suddenly, hearing one's footsteps approaching. Turning around, he was shocked to see Kagome limping towards the village, a bloodied shoulder and chest.

"Kagome!" He yelled, leaping over to her. "What happened!?" He asked urgently.

"Oh, Inuyasha… I'm glad I found you here…" She whispered hoarsely, falling into his arms. Hacking up blood, her breath came out ragged. "I was traveling back, and… Some bandits caught me by surprise… I managed to fend them off… They got few hits in, though." She tried to laugh, but instead she ended up coughing miserably.

"Hey, hey! I'm gonna get ya back to the village, and you're going to get all patched up, and everything's gonna be fine!" He said, his voice trembling as he scooped Kagome into his arms.

"No.. Stop, I fear, my time's at an end here…"

"No! Don't say that. You're going to be ok! You're going to be ok…" He said, tears threatening to spill over his face. He sank to his knees.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha… You were right, I should have let you come with me…" She flashed a smile, which crumpled into a cough, her face contorting in pain. "Just, hold me for a while…"

He wrapped her arms around her, burying his face into her shoulder, tears glistening on his face. "Don't go, Kagome, don't leave me… Remember when you said you'd never leave my side…?"

She caressed his back gently in response.

"You said you'd never leave me. Never… Don't leave now…" Sobs racked his body.

Her eyes started to flutter close. "I love you… Never forget m-…" She took in one more deep, shuddering breath. It was her last. Cradling her now frail body, his sobs echoed through the fields.

Inuyasha walked back into the village, Kagome's limp body held in his arms. All the villagers came out to mourn her death. Tears were spilt, condolences were made. A proper burial was given, tears watering the grave. The entire village paid their respects, silently standing over her final resting place.

Inuyasha had the hardest time dealing with it. He spent every waking moment, standing guard over her grave. Eventually, Miroku and Sango had had to drag him away, forcing him to eat and drink.

He felt mute, life a colorless landscape, devoid of all emotion. She had died, and anger burned in his eyes. Someone was going to pay.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru traveled to the same war torn area that Kagome had visited. It was rumored that the land hid an item of great power, which was the reason for all the warlords flocking to the area.

"Rin. Get onto A-Un's back. We are in need of fast travel." He commanded.

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama!" She said, happy that they were going to be going on a flight. She loved feeling the wind through her hair.

Flying well above the tree line, he noticed a figure walking below, away from the war torn region. Rin noticed, too. "Sesshomaru, who's that?" She shouted over the wind.

Sesshomaru chose not to answer, fully knowing who it was. He worried that Rin would want to go down and talk to her, causing delays to his destinations.

Jaken huffed. "Sesshomaru-sama has no time to answer your silly questions!"

Giving an annoyed little huff, she flicked Jaken on the head, leaving him infuriated.

"Jaken, stop thrashing about. You are going to fall down." Sesshomaru said, staring straight ahead.

Jaken sighed, muttering a "Yes, Sesshomaru-sama" while glaring at Rin. She pretended not to notice.

After they had flew for a while, Rin heard her stomach grumble, and no ordinary grumble as well. It made such a noise that even one of the heads of A-Un turned around to see what the source of the sound was.

Taking notice, Rin called to Sesshomaru. "Sesshomaru-sama! I'm hungry. Can we land?" Following it was a notable groan from Jaken, but she decided to not acknowledge it. "I think it's getting dark, anyway. We should land and get some sleep, after I eat."

Sesshomaru floated along before answering. "Fine. We will land and make camp."

"Hey look, a river! A-Un, let's land over there!" She indicated the area of land with her finger, and A-Un dutifully followed her order, descending gently and landing on the soft grass.

After Rin had caught some fish and taken a cool drink from the river, she laid back against a tree, watching the fish cook on the fire. "Lord Sesshomaru, where are we going?"

"This is none of your concern, Rin. Just know that you will be safe."

"Oh, Ok!" Rin responded, checking if the fish was done. To both her and her stomach's dismay, they were not.

Sighing, she sat back down again. "I don't think I've ever been this hungry in my entire life!"

Sesshomaru, looking over to Rin's saddened face, suggested that they may go find some other food other than fish. Rin happily agreed, and they left a snoring Jaken in search for some food.

Inuyasha sulked as he sat on a branch of a tree, gazing up at the full moon. He had avoided other people after Kagome's death, the wound still fresh from two days ago. If only the Tensaiga had been around…

He banished the thought from his mind. Nothing would bring her back, and he would just have to cope with that. His methods of coping though, weren't the best. He had sliced down numerous trees and smashed several boulders, taking out his sorrow and grief, and when he sat still, like what he was doing at the current moment, silent tears slipped down his face, a smile on his face as he thought about Kagome. "Never forget", she had said. He was going to fulfill that wish until the end of his days. He clutched the rosary beads that he had managed to convince Kagome to take off to his neck, treasuring it in her memory.

His ears perked up as he heard someone walking back towards the village. Dropping silently from the tree, he spied a woman walking slowly along the path, wearing priest robes. Upon closer inspection, was this woman… No, it couldn't be.

He leapt behind the woman, unsheathing Tessaiga. "Where do ya think you're going, demon? I don't like most demons, and especially demons that impersonate dead people."

Kagome turned around, smiling. "What are you talking about, Inuyasha? And I thought you were going to be happy to see me." She said as she walked towards Inuyasha with open arms. To her surprise, he lifted his sword and pointed it at her.

"Don't try anything funny, bastard. I know you're not Kagome, and I'm gonna kill you for it." He raised his sword and swung viciously at Kagome's head.

"Inuyasha! What are you doing!?" She screamed, putting up a protective barrier, causing the Tessaiga to bounce off.

"Killing you. Impersonating Kagome, my Kagome is unforgivable!" He yelled as he charged her again.

"But I am Kagome!"

"I saw Kagome die in front of my eyes. You. Couldn't. Possibly. Be. HER." He accentuated each word with the swing of Tessaiga, relentlessly attacking her barrier. She didn't know how long she could hold up the barrier against Inuyasha, until she was forced to take more drastic measures…

Rin awoke to the sound of battle in the distance. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to listen to the shouts that were coming from that general vicinity as well. Something about bastards, demons, and Kagomes… weird. Wait, Kagomes? Like in Miss Kagome who was married with Sesshomaru's half brother? And she was in trouble? She sprang to her feet, tugging on Sesshomaru's sleeping form.

"What is it, Rin?"

"I think miss Kagome is in danger!"

"And that is none of our concern," He said, shutting his eyes once more.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Sesshomaru-sama!" She whispered urgently, vainly tugging on his sleeve. He refused to budge.

"Fine! I guess I'll just go help miss Kagome by myself then!" She stormed off into the woods, running in the general direction of the fighting. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, watched her run off, casting a weary eye in her direction.

Slowly getting up, he reluctantly followed her… Him, following someone, that was a mere human girl? My, how times had changed.

Rin crashed through the forest, desperate to see if Kagome was ok. The sounds of battle and swords grew louder as she ran, and she eventually discovered the site of the fight. What she witnessed was not at all what she had expected.

On the road, Kagome held up her magical barrier, fending off attacks from a vicious Inuyasha's attacks, Tessaiga whistling through the air with each blow. Kagome looked strained keeping up the barrier though, but she refused to do harm to Inuyasha. Desperate to stop the madness, she ran towards the two, waving her arms above her head.

"Heeeyy! Stoopp!" She cried.

Kagome turned her head, looking at the now approaching Rin. "Stay back, Rin! Inuyasha's gone mad!"

"Demon, watch who you're fighting! That little girl can't help you now!" He howled, repeatedly smashing into Kagome's protective shield.

Disregarding Kagome's warning, she ran towards the infuriated half-demon, tugging on his robe. "Stop!" She yelled. "You're going to hurt Kagome!"

"That's not Kagome, I saw her… And its not fooling me! Now, get off me, wench!" Inuyasha threw Rin to the ground, resuming his brutal onslaught. Kagome, on the other hand, looked worn out and tired, sweat beading on her head as she desperately tried to keep her magical shield intact.

In Rin's urgent need to stop the fighting, she recklessly threw herself between Inuyasha and Kagome. "Stop!"

Inuyasha paused for only a second to look at her. "So you're gonna die too, huh… People've been dying left and right haven't they…" He raised his sword, readying for another strike. Suddenly, a bright flash of white streaked through the night.

Sesshomaru stood between Rin and Inuyasha, sword in hand. "Protecting a fellow demon, Sesshomaru? That's so typical of ya." He raised his sword, attacking his older brother. He countered, and what followed was a blur of swordsmanship, moonlight glinting off the swords as they clashed over and over again.

Rin, observing the fight with nervous eyes from behind Sesshomaru, saw that he was a fighting a battle he could not win. Inuyasha fought with an intensity she had never seen anyone fight with before.

Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was getting tired. His swings slower, his parries lazier, and Rin wasn't sure how long he could last… Making up her mind, she leapt in between the two fighters. "Don't hurt Sesshomaru-sama!" she cried.

Inuyasha tensed up and halted for a just second, eyeing the girl that was standing in front of him and his opponent. It was all that Sesshomaru needed. Bringing his sword up with a vicious upward cut, Inuyasha could all but block his attack with the flat of his sword, and was sent sprawling to the ground from the impact. In a flash, he had his weapon at the hanyou's neck.

"Has it ever occurred to you that you could have been tricked?" Sesshomaru asked, burning holes into Inuyasha with his stare.

"No."

"And why is that?"

"Cause I-"

"Because you never think through anything. Go check your woman's grave; I can assure you her body will not be there." He lifted the sword from his brother's neck. "Rin and I have other business to attend to. I'm sure you do as well." Sesshomaru started walking away from hence he had came. "Come, Rin."

"Yes, Sesshomaru!" She said, quickly catching up to her protector, narrowly following his heels. "I hope you can make Inuyasha believe that you're Kagome, Miss Kagome!"

"Yes, well I hope that, too." Kagome began walking towards the village once again, a weary Inuyasha in tow.

Inuyasha and Kagome returned to the village, digging up the grave. As Inuyasha watched in anticipation, the grave was empty, as Sesshomaru had promised. The instant he realized it, Inuyasha flung himself at Kagome, wrapping her in a bear hug and peppering her with kisses. After he had stopped, the hanyou explained the entire ordeal to Kagome. Describing in great detail her death-not really- and the entailing story, he wondered what the other Kagome had been, though it had passed. What could have possibly wanted him to believe that Kagome had died? Unbeknownst to him, the culprit was a little birdie, perched in a tree nearby. It regarded the two with its cold beady eyes, cocking its head slightly before flying off. The bird certainly had some planning to do.

Overhead, a lone blackbird road the breeze, gently flapping as it flew out of sight. Below the bird walked the unlikely duo of Rin and Sesshomaru, obscured from view by the cover of trees. Jaken and A-Un flew above, Jaken claiming that he could no longer bear to listen to Rin's childish banter.

Rin, with none to talk to except Sesshomaru, took to thinking of her nonexistent love life. She had been devising possible ways in which to make Sesshomaru admit his love, but she had great difficulty thinking of a plan that could possibly have actually fooled the demon. After a while, she decided a straight-forward approach was the best way. Gathering her courage, she stepped in front of Sesshomaru, hands slightly shaking. This was going to be it! "Sesshomaru-sama, I have something to say to you!" He regarded her with a cocked eyebrow. "I lo-" Sesshomaru met her gave with an intense stare. "Ah, ahhh ah'm so tired!" She said, chickening out. "Could you carry me?" Inside, her mental self held its head in its hands, sorely disappointed in its ability to profess its love.

Giving a little sigh from his nose, Sesshomaru wordlessly lifted Rin into his arms. Rin, while being disappointed in herself for her lack of courage, found herself quite enjoying Sesshomaru's warmth. While she had failed to tell him his true feelings, the warm embrace of Sesshomaru's arms almost made up for it. Almost. Maybe another day.

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**REVIEW**


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